Merkel’s Partner Wants to Forget Talk of Ditching Coalition

Talk of bringing down Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government or demanding huge concessions has all but evaporated as Germany’s Social Democrats gathered for another round of coalition talks.

Back in December, the party’s newly-elected leftist leaders, Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans, were still threatening to withdraw from the coalition unless Merkel agreed to massive investments, a sizable minimum wage boost and other spending projects.